The National Park Service's National
Register of Historic Places, the Capital Resource Conservation and Development
(RC&D) Council (USDA--National Resources Conservation Service), Lagniappe
Tours (of the Foundation for Historical Louisiana), the Louisiana Division
of Historic Preservation, and the National Conference of State Historic
Preservation Officers proudly invite you to Explore the History and
Culture of Southeastern Louisiana, featuring historic places along
the Mississippi River and surrounding lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain
in the southeastern portion of the state. Meandering through 16 Louisiana
parishes (counties), the itinerary begins with the grand plantations along
the River Road, continues north through historic Baton Rouge and along
the Mississippi River (an Amercian Heritage River, designated by President
Clinton), then east to sites along State Highway 10, and finally loops
back to Baton Rouge again west along State Highway 190. Included are four
state designated Scenic Byways. This latest National Register of Historic
Places Travel Itinerary explores 64 historic places that illustrate this
region's vivid history where Spanish, African-American, French, Anglo-American
and other cultures met to produce one of the most interesting stories
in the United States.

This itinerary focuses on the variety of buildings and landscapes from
elaborate plantation houses and beautiful landscapes gardens, to piney
wood log cabins, slave cabins, Civil War sites, industrial sites and major
political monuments. Visitors can stroll historic Main Street towns such
as Plaquemine and Ponchatoula.
Some sites, such as Afton Villa Gardens, offer vistas of stunning
botanical beauty. Several antebellum plantations are highlighted such
as San Francisco, built in the Creole style, Oak
Alley, one of the finest remaining Greek Revival plantation houses,
and Evergreen a plantation complex with numerous
outbuildings including a rare surviving row of slave cabins. Houses such
as Catalpa reflect the typical late Victorian cottages
built throughout Louisiana in the late 19th century. During the Civil
War, Louisiana became a battleground between Union and Confederate forces.
At Port Hudson Confederate forces endured the longest
siege in American history; the Union forces included the First Louisiana
Native Guards, primarily composed of free blacks from New Orleans. More
recent military history is represented by the U.S.S.
Kidd, a World War II destroyer now docked in Baton Rouge, across
from the Old Louisiana State Capitol. The Old
Louisiana Governor's Mansion and the Louisiana State
Capitol reflect the influence of the state's most famous political
son, Huey P. Long. Included in the itinerary are also examples of Louisiana's
industrialization and growth seen at the Cinclaire Sugar
Mill Historic District and the Colonial Sugars Historic
District. Louisiana's religious history is also highlighted at churches
such as St. John Baptist Church and St.
Gabriel Roman Catholic Church.

Interior spiral staircase of the Old
Louisiana State CapitolCourtesy of Capitol Resource Conservation and Development Council

Explore the History and Culture of Southeastern Louisiana offers
numerous ways to discover the historic properties that played important
roles in Louisiana's past. Each property features a brief description
of the place's significance, color and historic photographs, and public
accessibility information. At the bottom of each page the visitor will
also find a navigation bar containing links to three essays that explain
more about The River Road, the French
Creole Architecture, and the Florida Parishes.
These essays provide historical background, or "contexts," for many of
the places included in the itinerary. The itinerary can be viewed online,
or printed out if you plan to visit Southeastern Louisiana in person.

Created through a partnership between the National Park Service's
National Register of Historic Places, the Capital Resource Conservation
and Development (RC&D) Council, Lagniappe Tours (Foundation for
Historical Louisiana), the Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation,
the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers (NCSHPO),
and the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (NAPC), Explore
the History and Culture of Southeastern Louisiana is an example
of a new and exciting cooperative project. As part of the Department
of the Interior's strategy to revitalize communities by promoting public
awareness of history and encouraging tourists to visit historic places
throughout the nation, the National Register of Historic Places is cooperating
with communities, regions and Heritage Areas throughout the United States
to create online travel itineraries. Using places listed in the National
Register of Historic Places, the itineraries help potential visitors
plan their next trip by highlighting the amazing diversity of this country's
historic places and supplying accessibility information for each featured
site. In the Learn More section, the itineraries
link to regional and local web sites that provide visitors with further
information regarding cultural events, special activities, and lodging
and dining possibilities.

The Capital RC&D Council and Lagniappe Tours are the sixth of
more than 30 organizations working directly with the National Register
of Historic Places to create travel itineraries. Additional itineraries
will debut online in the future. The National Register of Historic Places,
the Capital RC&D Council and Lagniappe Tours hope you enjoy this
virtual travel itinerary of Southeastern Louisiana's historic resources.
If you have any comments or questions, please just click on the provided
e-mail address, "comments or questions" located at the bottom of each
page.